Kudrin advocates broader political reforms
MOSCOW. Dec 24 (Interfax) - Former Russian finance minister Alexei Kudrin, who came to a mass protest rally in Moscow on Saturday, told reporters Russia needs extensive political reforms.
"I don't believe that there is no political stability in our country, but a more extensive political reform is needed than what [President] Dmitry Medvedev is carrying out," he said.
Answering a question from Interfax, Kudrin said he had come to the rally in order to say that this month's parliamentary elections had been "dishonest." "And I believe that those guilty of this falsification must be called to account, up to being prosecuted," he said.
He also told reporters he believed Russia needs a new democratic party. "I'm not saying that I necessarily want to be at the head of it but I will definitely be involved in this," he said.
In a comment to his tenure as finance minister, he put it to his credit that "it was possible to evade the impoverishment of tens of thousands of people during the crisis."